Social-Emotional Learning amidst COVID-19 School Closures: Positive Findings from an Efficacy Study of "Adventures Aboard the S.S. GRIN" Program
Li, Linlin; Flynn, Kylie S.; DeRosier, Melissa E.; Weiser, Gary; Austin-King, Kelsey (2021). Grantee Submission. Retrieved from: https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED614932
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examining516Students, grade3
Grant Competition
Review Details
Reviewed: October 2024
- Grant Competition (findings for Adventures Aboard the S.S. GRIN)
- Randomized Controlled Trial
- Meets WWC standards without reservations because it is a cluster randomized controlled trial with low cluster-level attrition and individual-level non-response.
This review may not reflect the full body of research evidence for this intervention.
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Findings
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Outcome measure |
Comparison | Period | Sample |
Intervention mean |
Comparison mean |
Significant? |
Improvement index |
Evidence tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale Second Edition (BERS-2): Interpersonal Strength Subscale |
Adventures Aboard the S.S. GRIN vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
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16.17 |
14.87 |
No |
-- | |
|
SELweb |
Adventures Aboard the S.S. GRIN vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
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45.66 |
41.79 |
No |
-- | |
|
Social Skills and Behavioral Index (SSBI): Communication Skills Scale |
Adventures Aboard the S.S. GRIN vs. Business as usual |
0 Days |
Full sample;
|
33.13 |
31.34 |
No |
-- |
Evidence Tier rating based solely on this study. This intervention may achieve a higher tier when combined with the full body of evidence.
Sample Characteristics
Characteristics of study sample as reported by study author.
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14% English language learners -
Female: 49%
Other or unknown: 51% -
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California
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Race Other or unknown 100% -
Ethnicity Hispanic 47% Not Hispanic or Latino 53% -
Eligible for Free and Reduced Price Lunch Free or reduced price lunch (FRPL) 53% No FRPL 47%
Study Details
Setting
The study took place in 37 third-grade general education classrooms in 19 schools from three California public school districts.
Study sample
Of the students in the study sample, 49 percent were female, 47 percent were Hispanic, 53 percent qualified for free or reduced-price lunch, and 14 percent were English language learners.
Intervention Group
Adventures Aboard the S.S. Grin is a game-based social-emotional skill-building intervention which was later adapted from the original in-person version implemented in December 2019 to an online version implemented after school closures due to COVID-19. The intervention addresses self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making. Each of the nine episodes is 30 to 45 minutes long. One episode is implemented per week over the course of approximately 3 months.
Comparison Group
The comparison condition was business as usual.
Support for implementation
Intervention teachers received systematic training and supports. The training provided background information about the intervention, teacher facilitation of post-episode discussions with students, instructions for successful implementation, and guidance to help students transfer their skills to other situations. Study authors continued to support intervention teachers throughout implementation through weekly digital newsletters, weekly online teacher implementation logs, phone calls, texts, and emails.
An indicator of the effect of the intervention, the improvement index can be interpreted as the expected change in percentile rank for an average comparison group student if that student had received the intervention.
For more, please see the WWC Glossary entry for improvement index.
An outcome is the knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are attained as a result of an activity. An outcome measures is an instrument, device, or method that provides data on the outcome.
A finding that is included in the effectiveness rating. Excluded findings may include subgroups and subscales.
The sample on which the analysis was conducted.
The group to which the intervention group is compared, which may include a different intervention, business as usual, or no services.
The timing of the post-intervention outcome measure.
The number of students included in the analysis.
The mean score of students in the intervention group.
The mean score of students in the comparison group.
The WWC considers a finding to be statistically significant if the likelihood that the finding is due to chance alone, rather than a real difference, is less than five percent.
The WWC reviews studies for WWC products, Department of Education grant competitions, and IES performance measures.
The name and version of the document used to guide the review of the study.
The version of the WWC design standards used to guide the review of the study.
The result of the WWC assessment of the study. The rating is based on the strength of evidence of the effectiveness of the intervention. Studies are given a rating of Meets WWC Design Standards without Reservations, Meets WWC Design Standards with Reservations, or >Does Not Meet WWC Design Standards.
A related publication that was reviewed alongside the main study of interest.
Study findings for this report.
Based on the direction, magnitude, and statistical significance of the findings within a domain, the WWC characterizes the findings from a study as one of the following: statistically significant positive effects, substantively important positive effects, indeterminate effects, substantively important negative effects, and statistically significant negative effects. For more, please see the WWC Handbook.
The WWC may review studies for multiple purposes, including different reports and re-reviews using updated standards. Each WWC review of this study is listed in the dropdown. Details on any review may be accessed by making a selection from the drop down list.
Tier 1 Strong indicates strong evidence of effectiveness,
Tier 2 Moderate indicates moderate evidence of effectiveness, and
Tier 3 Promising indicates promising evidence of effectiveness,
as defined in the
non-regulatory guidance for ESSA
and the regulations for ED discretionary grants (EDGAR Part 77).